One of the best things about editing Slake is that we're bringing together a growing, creative community of writers and artists who don't just send in their stories and move on, they give us their time at Slake readings and special events, a few volunteer and help us sort through the stacks of unsolicited submissions we receive, and many have contributed to our current Kickstarter drive with their own dollars, testimonials and artwork to make our rewards more enticing. Not to be outdone by the artists featured in our Kickstarter rewards (Sandow Birk, Ingrid Allen, Matjames, Anne Fishbein, Anne McCaddon and Shannon Donnelly), writer Hank Cherry wanted to find a way to help us make our $25,000 goal.

We call it Hank Cherry's Extremely Hard, Incredibly Thirst-Quenching
Lessons in Tennis Serving, Poetry Writing and Ginger Ale Imbibing. Offered at the $300 level, it's
two 30-minute lessons, a full hour of poetry on the court, on the page
and out of the soda-pop bottle. For those who can find their own
transportation to Los Angeles' Griffith Park, writer, filmmaker and
Slake contributor Henry "Hank" Cherry, a former 13th-ranked mid-Atlantic
14-and-under tennis player, will demonstrate the blistering serve he
uses to crush his opponents and teach you how to improve the velocity of your own serve—in other words, how to hit a tennis ball extremely hard. After
30 minutes, you'll learn how to SLAKE your thirst properly with a fine
ginger ale supplied by Cherry, a connoisseur of small-batch brews and even a
few homemade concoctions from his time in New Orleans. Once refreshed, you and
Cherry will use the remainder of your second 30-minute session to write
a five- to ten-line poem about tennis, ginger ale or anything else that inspires you. After, we'll post the poem on Slake's website. In
addition, you will be recognized as a Friend of Slake in the print
edition of Slake No. 4 and receive all of the rewards of the upgraded
$200 level.

And don't forget, it's not too late to give a Slake gift subscription for the holidays. Act before Wednesday, December 21, noon PST, and we'll send a special gift card to your favorite lit-loving friend or relative in time for Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanzaa if you pledge at the $75 level or higher. See our Slake Kickstarter page for details on the info we need.